March 2012

03/29/2012

Autodesk unveiled its new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, offering a complete set of integrated and interoperable suites and cloud services to simplify design, visualization and simulation workflows from product development through delivery.

The new Autodesk design suites are geared especially for manufacturers and include Autodesk Product Design Suite and Autodesk Factory Design Suite. The new suites provide a broad range of cloud services to help manufacturers more efficiently design, build and deliver better products faster and at reduced costs. The new Autodesk Simulation family of products delivers a faster, more accurate and flexible approach to predicting, optimizing and validating designs earlier in the design process.

New for Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013 are the addition of one-click workflows created to help customers seamlessly move through the engineering design process, advanced cloud-based services for simulation and the inclusion of additional software allowing customers to realize their end-to-end design process. Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013 updates include:

Autodesk Inventor software in the Standard edition, establishing 3D parametric design as the foundation to the engineering design process and providing a solution that delivers powerful 3D design and drafting capabilities.

Specifically, the one-to-one synchronization between 2D AutoCAD drawings and the 3D Inventor assembly within the suite means changes made in the AutoCAD drawing will propagate to the Inventor 3D layout, and changes in the 3D layout will propagate back to the original 2D drawing. The bidirectional associative workflow of the suite provides veteran AutoCAD users with a familiar, easy to learn process for generating compelling 2D and 3D factory layouts while improving efficiency and accuracy.

Autodesk Inventor Publisher 2013 extends the value of Autodesk Design Suites by leveraging the same 3D digital model used in the design process for developing highly visual and interactive 2D and 3D technical documentation that helps explain and differentiate products and processes. Inventor Publisher 2013 features faster performance, new video output formats that can be published directly to YouTube and Facebook, and many new interoperability additions, such as new file import formats, automatic update with new assembly formats and integration with Sketchbook Designer.

Autodesk Simulation: Fast, Accurate and Flexible

The Autodesk Simulation family of products delivers a fast, accurate and flexible approach to predict, optimize and validate designs earlier in the design process. The new family includes 2013 versions of Autodesk Simulation Mechanical, Autodesk Simulation CFD, Autodesk Simulation Moldflow and serves as a comprehensive set of simulation software tools that are easy to integrate into each phase of the product development process. Enhancements to the 2013 simulation portfolio include:

Autodesk Simulation CFD – Up to a 34 times improvement in overall solve time, while Autodesk Inventor Fusion enhancements include the ability to create associative internal and external fluid volumes, the ability to detect interferences, and automatic model simplification.

“Our design suites and cloud services help meet the demand for BIM by providing access to a broad set of tools that support projects from conception to construction,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Information Modeling and Platform Products Group, Autodesk. “The 2013 software portfolio offers significant additions to the design suites, as well as expanded web services that allow our customers to collaborate more effectively and access information from anywhere at any time.”

Meeting Project Workflow and Business Needs

For design, engineering and construction professionals, a combination of Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013 or Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013 with Autodesk Subscription, Autodesk 360, Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC 2013 software and Autodesk Buzzsaw 2013 software-as-a-service, can help solve a wide range of today’s business challenges. These challenges include delivering projects with intelligent model-based design to meet increasing BIM mandates from government organizations and project owners, conducting energy analysis and construction simulation early and often to make more informed design and construction decisions, improving team collaboration by accessing cloud-based services and mobile applications, and winning new business by producing compelling visualizations.

Expanded Cloud Services

The 2013 software and services portfolio includes access to Autodesk 360, a cloud computing platform that helps users dramatically improve the way project teams design, visualize, simulate, and share work. Autodesk 360 offers secure access to project data anytime, anywhere, while taking advantage of virtually infinite computing power through a broad range of cloud-based services. Autodesk 360 is now available to all Autodesk design suite customers, with additional capabilities available to design suite customers who purchase an Autodesk Subscription.

Advanced BIM for Building Industry

Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013 is the foundation of the 2013 software portfolio for architects, MEP and structural engineers, and construction professionals. It provides a comprehensive set of tools to help users address a variety of workflow needs, from design, visualization and simulation to documentation and construction. Available in three editions, Standard, Premium and Ultimate, Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013 updates include the addition of Autodesk Revit 2013 software to the Premium and Ultimate editions; Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2013 software for the Premium edition; and Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 and Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2013 software for the Ultimate edition. Autodesk Revit 2013 is a new application exclusively available in the Premium and Ultimate editions that combines the capabilities in Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013, Autodesk Revit Structure 2013 and Autodesk Revit MEP 2013 software in a single, comprehensive application to help users support multidiscipline workflows.

Enhanced BIM for Civil Infrastructure

Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013 provides civil engineering, GIS, planning and utility design professionals with a comprehensive BIM for infrastructure solution for planning, designing, building and managing civil infrastructure and utility infrastructure projects. Available in three editions, Standard, Premium and Ultimate, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013 adds AutoCAD Raster Design 2013 software to all three editions. Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 software is now included in the Premium and Ultimate editions. AutoCAD Utility Design 2013 and Autodesk Revit Structure 2013 software have been added to the Ultimate edition. With these new tools for conceptual design, utility network design, structural engineering and working with raster imagery, professionals working on transportation, utility, land, and water infrastructure projects can more efficiently explore design options, better analyze project performance, and use visualization to help communicate with project stakeholders.

Improved Intelligent 3D Modeling for Plant Design

Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013 is available in three editions, Standard, Premium and Ultimate. The Premium and Ultimate editions provide a comprehensive intelligent 3D modeling and review software package for plant design, from small to large-scale projects, such as oil and gas facilities. The Premium and Ultimate editions offer enhancements to help simplify cross-department coordination among process plant design stakeholders. Other key enhancements for the Premium and Ultimate editions include improved AutoCAD isometrics and customizable report creation for AutoCAD Plant 3D 2013 software, and drafting productivity enhancements for AutoCAD P&ID 2013 software (all editions).

Enhanced Collaboration and Data Management Applications

The 2013 software portfolio also includes collaboration and data management applications to help provide access to information across the project lifecycle from the office, the web, or the field. Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC 2013 software provides improved integration with Autodesk design tools, including Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2013, Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2013 and all Autodesk Revit 2013 software. Autodesk Buzzsaw 2013 expands cloud-based collaboration with multi-browser web access for both PC and Mac users. Buzzsaw users can now view Revit and Navisworks models in a browser or on an iPad or iPhone. An Autodesk Buzzsaw mobile app with 2D and 3D DWF viewing capability for Android devices is also now available. The integration between Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC 2013 and Autodesk Buzzsaw 2013 has been enhanced with options for scheduled and on-demand synchronizations.

03/28/2012

Autodesk launched the company’s 2013 portfolio of design, engineering and entertainment software, including the latest design and creation suites. The suites provide expanded toolsets and new automated suites workflows for building, entertainment, engineering, construction, infrastructure, product, plant and factory design. The 2013 design suites connect the desktop to Autodesk 360, a cloud computing platform that enables customers to dramatically improve the way they work by providing the ability to store, edit and share their designs and access virtually infinite computing power anytime, anywhere.

“Last year, we introduced Autodesk design and creation suites and cloud services, and have seen a tremendous response from our customers. The 2013 suites are a major step forward to a cohesive and interconnected product family,” said Andrew Anagnost, Autodesk senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing. “The tools in the suites now work more seamlessly with each other and with the cloud, offering tremendous value by opening new ways for our customers to solve their most complex design and engineering challenges.”

The new Autodesk 2013 design and creation suites feature in-product, customizable one-click workflows and improved interoperability, making it much easier to connect design and visualization tasks. This gives users the ability to better communicate their design intent visually. In addition, the 2013 suites offer a consistent user experience across the software in the suite and in Autodesk 360 -- making it easier to learn new tools and services, and adopt them in the design workflow.

Autodesk 360 (formerly known as Autodesk Cloud) now provides even more cloud benefits to Autodesk Subscription customers, including additional cloud storage and the ability to access cloud services for rendering, simulation, design optimization and energy analysis. Subscription customers now have up to 25 MB of storage and between 100 and 500 Autodesk Cloud Units per user, based on the suite edition they purchased. Combining the power and capability of Autodesk 360 with the enhanced workflows of Autodesk design suites give customers a competitive edge to respond to changing business requirements.

03/27/2012

Design and shape the world around you with AutoCAD® 2013 software. Help speed documentation, share ideas smoothly, explore concepts more intuitively in 3D, and customize for your specific needs. It’s time to take design further.

03/19/2012

IMAGINiT Technologies will be attending the following events to talk to you about our wide range of academia solutions. These conferences provide great opportunities to collaborate with other engineering educators and chart new directions.

03/06/2012

Our BIM Spectrum event on February 16th generated a lot of conversations around BIM, Revit and what the future may hold.

We're keeping the conversation going with a Twitter chat hosted by IMAGINiT expert Ken Flannigan. The Twitter chat will take place this Friday, March 9th at 11 AM (Eastern Time - US and Canada) and we'll focus on Designing and Constructing to an Owner's BIM Standard.

We're very excited about our first Twitter chat and want to offer you multiple ways to join the conversation. We found this great video on YouTube that shows three tools to use to follow Twitter chats. With your help, we'll keep the conversation going all year long.

03/01/2012

Rand Worldwide announced that it has completed the acquisition of certain assets of Virginia Beach based Inlet Technology. Inlet Technology is an Autodesk technology integrator, channel partner and services provider primarily focused in the architecture, engineering and civil industry and as such will be incorporated into the IMAGINiT Technologies division of Rand Worldwide.